“Forza Horizons 5” crushes the opponents in this era of modern gaming with a polished map at launch, a staggering car list, functional online playground games, the largest map in the “Forza Horizon” franchise ever, and the addition of more appropriated radio stations. These elements made the game the best of 2021. 

“Forza Horizon 5” allows for great racing with never ending fun with friends or as a single player. There are 5 different types of races around the huge map and online modes for competitive play. The AI is well balanced to suit how you want to play, and the online multiplayer system reworks itself so that gameplay is fair at all times. There are also alternatives if you don’t want to race or be online. In the entire game, there are over 200 XP boards and fast travel boards to find around the map in your free time. There are also other fun things to do around the map such as: danger signs, speed traps, and Forza Horizon Events. 

This game shines simply because it functions, which wouldn’t be impressive if it weren’t for the fact that it’s one of the only games that have been released this year that does work. With the release of the absolute disaster that was “Battlefield 2042,” the flop that was “COD: Vanguard,” and the smaller unexpected release and success of “Halo: Infinite,” “Forza Horizon 5” clearly sets itself aside from the dumpster fire that has been the 2021 game releases. 

This is not to say that it doesn’t have its flaws as well. There is one major problem with “The Goliath ” race (a race around the entire map), where the player tweaks their settings to make their car (essentially) drive itself around the map to gain unruly amounts of money. This is not a glitch or game-breaking bug, but it is an exploit that gives an unfair advantage to players. There are also some minor issues with the convoy, people, and cars reappearing and disappearing at random, which will hopefully be fixed in the near future. 

Overall, the amazing graphics and polished gameplay makes this masterpiece stand out and pull new players as well as older veterans of the series. According to Xbox News, it is “the largest release on Xbox ever.” The stunning scenery shows the effort and hard work that the developer team, Turn 10 Studios, put into this game. Not only is the game set in Mexico, releasing conveniently right after National Hispanic Heritage month, but the story of the game ties into the last one, which was a selling point to vets of the series. 

As with all modern gaming, the people demand more, and so the developers give more. “Forza Horizon 5” brings new ideas, along with new changes to maps. While “Forza Horizon 4” had changes in seasons, “Forza Horizon 5” has changes in weather within the seasons. For example, when casually driving along Mexico’s massive highway, or playing in the playground games, you might see a comically large dust storm headed toward you. You may either: drive as fast as you must to get away from it, or brave the storm and have the risk of your car being damaged. These dust storms flip playground games on their head, and are even good for casual games like hide-and-seek. This concept is the equivalent to “Battlefield 2042’s” Levolution Or  “COD: Vanguard’s” Blindfire. 

You’ll never get bored playing because there are infinite possibilities for play, whether online with friends or offline just wandering around the huge map that sports many new and beautiful spots to explore and enjoy. 

This game sets the bar extremely high for the next installment in the franchise and might see itself at a peak, and on that peak it will see the beautiful world that it has created for many to enjoy.